When Did the Conquest of Makkah Take Place?
Today's lesson is primarily about conversions before the actual Conquest. The Prophet PBUH departed Madinah on the 10th of Ramadan 8 AH, and arrived in Makkah on the 18th or 19th. He leaves one of the sahaba in charge of Madinah who was not very famous, Abu Rihm Kulthum ibn al-Husayn (ابو رهم كلثوم بن الحصين); and all major sahaba went to Makkah.
So they are barely 2 days outside of Madinah, and when they pass by the valley of Juhfa, lo and behold, they find someone coming from Makkah to Madinah. It was none other than al-Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib (the uncle of the Prophet PBUH) with his family. Abbas had *no* idea the Conquest is taking place. He comes to do Hijrah, and Allah had written for him and his family the honor that nobody else got after them, and that is they are the *last* group of people ever to enter into the realm of the Muhajirun. There is a famous mutawatir hadith: "There is no Hijrah after the Conquest."
How many uncles of the Prophet PBUH play a role in the seerah? 4: Hamzah, Abbas, Abu Talib, and Abu Lahab. As for the other uncles (al-Harith and al-Zubayr), they are not alive when the dawah phase begins. Only four uncles lived to see the Prophet PBUH as a prophet. One of them, Abu Lahab, is the worst enemy; another, Abu Talib, is the best non-Muslim ever — this is the qadr of Allah; two blood brothers, one of them is the worst of the non-Muslims, the other is the best. And then we have the Muslims: Hamzah and al-Abbas; and again, there is a difference: Hamzah converts earlier in the middle of the Makkan period and becomes the Sayyid of the Shuhada; whereas Abbas is the very last Muhajir.
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The Fiqh Ruling of Travel Does Not Begin From Within the City
It was Ramadan, so the Prophet PBUH and the Muslims were all fasting; but as we know, of the permissible reasons for one to break his fast in Ramadan is traveling (and you are required to make up for the missed days afterward [see Quran, 2:184]), so as soon as the Prophet PBUH and the sahaba reached an area called Qudaid, they broke their fast. And this shows us a simple and important fiqh point: The fiqh ruling of travel does not begin from within the city. You cannot break your fast or shorten your prayer from within your home city if you haven't left yet. So for example, if it's Ramadan and your flight is at 4 PM, you are not allowed to break your fast before that time, nor to make the intention to not fast that day knowing that you are going to do safar. You have to begin the fast that day, remain fasting until you board your plane, the plane departs, and you are outside the city limits, *then* you may break the fast and start praying jama'/qasr.
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Encounter With al-Abbas Who Was on His Way to Do Hijrah
So they are barely 2 days outside of Madinah, and when they pass by the valley of Juhfa, lo and behold, they find someone coming from Makkah to Madinah. It was none other than al-Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib (the uncle of the Prophet PBUH) with his family. Abbas had *no* idea the Conquest is taking place. He comes to do Hijrah, and Allah had written for him and his family the honor that nobody else got after them, and that is they are the *last* group of people ever to enter into the realm of the Muhajirun. There is a famous mutawatir hadith: "There is no Hijrah after the Conquest."
So Abbas comes and announces his Islam, and the Prophet PBUH rejoices immensely, and he tells him, "Go take care of your family (i.e., make your way to Madinah and get your family settled in), and then come and join us quickly." So he quickly does this and then catches up to the army.
How many uncles of the Prophet PBUH play a role in the seerah? 4: Hamzah, Abbas, Abu Talib, and Abu Lahab. As for the other uncles (al-Harith and al-Zubayr), they are not alive when the dawah phase begins. Only four uncles lived to see the Prophet PBUH as a prophet. One of them, Abu Lahab, is the worst enemy; another, Abu Talib, is the best non-Muslim ever — this is the qadr of Allah; two blood brothers, one of them is the worst of the non-Muslims, the other is the best. And then we have the Muslims: Hamzah and al-Abbas; and again, there is a difference: Hamzah converts earlier in the middle of the Makkan period and becomes the Sayyid of the Shuhada; whereas Abbas is the very last Muhajir.
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When Did al-Abbas Accept Islam?
There is a huge controversy among the scholars of the seerah: When did al-Abbas accept Islam? Scholars have written pages and pages on this. There are many opinions:
5) He converted right now where we are.
Opinion #3, #4, and #5 say he remained in Makkah as an informant at the behest/command of the Prophet PBUH. But the fact of the matter is the evidence is somewhat ambiguous and you cannot say for certain when he accepted Islam. Ibn Abd al-Barr says he accepted before Khaybar, Ibn Hajar argues right now (this incident), and Ibn Kathir argues he remained in Makkah as a Muslim obeying the command of the Prophet PBUH. So we have three great scholars with three different opinions. So Allah knows best. But one thing is for sure: After the Battle of Badr, his heart opened to Islam. Whether he accepted or not, Allah knows best; but even if he didn't, he knew Islam to be true. That is why he's helping and informing the Prophet PBUH, and that is why he was so happy at the conquest of Khaybar. Again, recall when he was taken as a POW post-Badr, he said, "I swear by the One who has sent you with the Truth that you are the Messenger of Allah" [see episode 41] — and scholars have interpreted this phrase to mean an acceptance of Islam. It's possible, but Allah knows best. We leave this vague.
Abbas was the only elder of the Banu Hashim to live after the Prophet's PBUH demise — he lived for another 20 years (d. 32 AH, in Uthman's khilafa). And the sahaba respected him an immense amount. After all, he is the brother of Abdullah and the uncle of the Prophet PBUH. Once, when someone irritated al-Abbas, the Prophet PBUH gave a khutbah and said, "O Muhajirun and Ansar, verily, the uncle of a man is like his father. Do not irritate my uncle." Subhan'Allah.
Note this is NOT the famous Abu Sufyan ibn Harb who is the father of Muawiyah. This is the first cousin of the Prophet PBUH. His father al-Harith is the eldest son of Abdul Muttalib. (Side note: Most likely, al-Harith died even before the Prophet PBUH was born; and he was the only son present when zamzam was discovered; and that was the time when Abdul Muttalib said, "O Allah, if you ever give me 10 sons, I will sacrifice one of them for you" [see episode 5].)
This is another cousin of the Prophet PBUH. His mother is Atikah the aunt of the Prophet PBUH, i.e., the daughter of Abdul Muttalib. So Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith ibn Abdul Muttalib is a first cousin to the Prophet PBUH from the father's side (father's brother), and Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah ibn al-Mughira is a first cousin to the Prophet PBUH also from the father's side (father's sister). By the way, Atikah was alive when Islam came — recall she saw the dream of Badr [see episode 36]; but we don't know what happened to her after that. Nonetheless, this is Atikah's son, Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah.
Also we notice the Prophet PBUH treated people according to who they are. The Bedouin is not treated like the senior sahaba are treated. The Bedouin is shown mercy, whereas the senior sahaba have a higher standard to follow. Once, Mu'adh ibn Jabal recites a long surah when he was leading a prayer, and when one of the ma'mum complained to the Prophet PBUH about this, the Prophet PBUH reprimanded Mu'adh, "O Mu'adh, are you going to cause fitna to the people?" Also, in one sariyya, when Usama ibn Zayd killed a person who had said "La ilaha illaLlah," the Prophet PBUH was furious at him and kept on repeating, "[O Usama,] what are you going to do with 'La ilaha illaLlah' on the Day of Judgment?!" until Usama felt, "Wallahi, I wish I was a brand new Muslim out of the anger of the Prophet PBUH for me"—meaning he knows the Prophet PBUH would've been more lenient with him had he been a new Muslim. Therefore, we understand why the Prophet PBUH said what he said to Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith and Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah. These are cousins. They knew better. How could they have done what they have done to their own cousin, someone who they grew up with? How could they have betrayed him when he was the most in need of them?
As soon as Ummi Salama tells them, "Sorry, no audience," immediately, Abu Sufyan began raising his voice, begging for an audience knowing that the Prophet PBUH can hear him. And he has with him one of his younger sons, Ja'far ibn Abi Sufyan (جعفر بن أبي سفيان) (who becomes a famous sahabi later on), and he raises Ja'far's hand and says, "If you don't let me come in, I swear by Allah, my son and I will leave here, go into the desert, and die a miserable death!" So, the books of seerah say, "The Prophet PBUH felt softness for them"—subhan'Allah, at the end of the day, they are his cousins, and this child is his nephew. So when the Prophet PBUH hears his cousin begging and pleading with his son (almost emotional blackmail), his PBUH soft heart opened up, and he allowed the two of them to come in.
And Abu Sufyan had a poem prepared, and it's a beautiful poem. He recites this one-page long poem as mentioned in Ibn Ishaq and others, and when he came to the line that says: "هداني هاد غير نفسي ودلني إلى الله من طردت كل مطرد (A guide other than myself [meaning the Prophet PBUH] guided me to Allah; a guide whom I myself repelled at every opportunity [but he continued to guide me to Allah SWT]," the Prophet PBUH tapped him in the chest and said, "Wallahi, you repelled me every time you could"—this is like a brotherly chastisement. Subhan'Allah, this shows us the Prophet PBUH is no doubt a human — he's hurt his cousin repelled him at every opportunity. So when Abu Sufyan says this line, the Prophet's PBUH grief comes out, "Yes, wallahi, you repelled me every time you could."
Now we move on to the fourth conversion story. So the Muslims continued proceeding onward and they are less than one day's distance to Makkah. The Quraysh are expecting some attack, but they don't know exactly when nor do they know how far the army of the Prophet PBUH is.
So al-Abbas goes to the Quraysh in the middle of the night, and later he narrates this in the first person as recorded in Ibn Ishaq: "I said to myself, 'Oh, what an evil morning it is for the Quraysh if the Prophet PBUH enters Makkah by force and attacks Makkah before they come to him and submit; it shall be their destruction for all eternity.'" Meaning if the Prophet PBUH conquers the Quraysh in this manner through a bloody war, there shall be no more Quraysh after this. And he's worried what's going to happen. And as he's walking, he sees three people in the distance coming in his direction. So he becomes quiet and tries to listen to figure out who they are. It turns out they are three senior leaders of the Quraysh & Khuza'a: Abu Sufyan ibn Harb ibn Umayyah THE Abu Sufyan the leader of the Quraysh, along with Hakim ibn Hizam, and Budayl ibn Warqa'; and they've been, on a nightly basis, coming out to see where the army of the Muslims is, and they are worried when the Prophet PBUH is going to attack. And on this night, they see the entire plain lit with 10,000 fires. And they are wondering, "What is happening?" In their minds, they simply cannot imagine the Muslims are that large. So Abu Sufyan and Budayl have a conversation, "Who do you think these people are?" It doesn't even occur to them it's the Muslim army. Budayl becomes happy and says, "This must be the Khuza'a (i.e., my people)! [They are here to defend us!]" But Abu Sufyan says, "They neither have the guts nor the quantity [to be this]." And while they're discussing, Abbas calls out, "Ya Aba Hanzala (أبا حنظلة)!" (Hanzala is Abu Sufyan's oldest son); and Abu Sufyan recognizes this voice, he says, "Abu al-Fadl [أبو الفضل]?" (Al-Fadl is Abbas's oldest son) (Note they address each other by kunyas, i.e., "Father of So-and-So.") And he says to him, "O Abu al-Fadl, what are you doing here?"—he doesn't know al-Abbas has become a Muslim. (Side note: In those days, people would travel for food — they would go hunting, get firewood, etc. So if you go missing for a day or two, it's not the end of the world.) Abbas says, "Woe to you! This is the army of Muhammad PBUH. And if he conquers you tomorrow, know that you shall be executed."
Now, by now we all know who Abu Sufyan is. There is no leader in Makkah at this point who competes with his seniority. The more senior leaders have all died at Badr and Uhud; the only senior left that can claim to rule and represent all of Makkah now is Abu Sufyan. And after all that he had done, there is no way he will be allowed to live (according to al-Abbas). So Abu Sufyan says, "What can I do? What do you advise me?" So Abbas tells him, "Come with me and I shall ask the Prophet PBUH to forgive and protect you. I will intercede on behalf of you in front of the Prophet PBUH." And he cannot see any other option, so he agrees. And al-Abbas puts him on his mule (i.e., the Prophet's PBUH mule), and in the middle of the night, they walk back into the army of 10,000 strong. And every time someone stops them and asks, "Who is there?!" al-Abbas says, "This is al-Abbas on the mule of the Prophet PBUH, Duldul." And of course, if this person has the mule of the Prophet PBUH, no more questions are asked. Wandering directly into 10,000 strong each one of whom would love to kill Abu Sufyan, in front of him is al-Abbas and both of them are riding the most sacred animal, the mule of the Prophet PBUH himself, no one dares ask anything. And as they get closer and closer to the tent of the Prophet PBUH, the seniority of the sahaba rises, until they pass by Umar ibn al-Khattab RA. (And again, this shows you the love the sahaba had for the Prophet PBUH — all the sahaba are protecting and guarding him PBUH in the middle of the night.)
Now, at this, Abbas says, "O Umar, he is under my protection." Recall when a Muslim gives protection to anyone, they are protected [see episode 62]. But Umar does not let this go. So he accompanies Abu Sufyan to the tent of the Prophet PBUH. And no matter what time of the night it is, this is Abu Sufyan, so he is granted an audience with the Prophet PBUH. Umar immediately asks for an execution, "Ya Rasulullah, this is the enemy of Allah, and Allah has given him to us without any covenant or treaty." So Abbas begins arguing, "No, he is under my protection." But Umar insists, and then Abbas insists further. The Prophet PBUH is silent. And then Abbas says, "Stop it, O Umar! For wallahi, if he were from the Banu Adi, you would never want to kill him! But because he is from the Banu Abd Manaf, you are brave enough to do this!" (Side note: Recall the Banu Abd Manaf combines the Banu Hashim [Abbas's tribe] and the Banu Umayyah [Abu Sufyan's tribe] — they are cousins; unlike the Banu Adi [Umar's tribe] that are very distant cousins.)
So Abbas brings in the tribal card and this clearly shows that he's a new Muslim — he's still thinking somewhat in tribalism lines. At this, Umar says, "Careful, ya Abbas. Wallahi, your acceptance of Islam the day that you accepted it was more beloved to me than my own father Khattab having accepted Islam had he been alive [only because the Prophet PBUH was happier at your Islam than he would have been at the Islam of my father]." Subhan'Allah. (Side note: And this is exactly what Abu Bakr will say as well when his own father accepts Islam [see episode 80]. He cries, "Ya Rasulullah, I would give anything to see Abu Talib here accepting Islam at your hands rather than my own father.") This is the true love for the Prophet PBUH.
When the Prophet PBUH saw these tensions, he said, "O Abbas, take Abu Sufyan to your tent and bring him to me tomorrow morning," and so Abbas did this. And Abbas and Abu Sufyan spent the entire night going back and forth, that Abbas tries to convert him but Abu Sufyan is hesitant. Until finally he is brought to the Prophet PBUH and the Prophet PBUH says to him, "O Abu Sufyan, isn't it time for you to acknowledge 'la ilaha illaLlah (there is no god besides Allah)'?" And subhan'Allah, what does Abu Sufyan say? He says, "May my mother and father be given in ransom for you"—this is the height of praise; and then he says, "How gentle are you, how merciful are you, and how fulfilling are you to the ties of kinship!"—as a mushrik, he is overwhelmed at the kindness of the Prophet PBUH that he is still gentle with him even after all that he had done at Badr, Uhud, and Khandaq; then he says, "As for this (la ilaha illaLlah), had there been any other gods besides Allah, I would have seen them help me by now." What does this show us? It's amazing that deep down inside, many of these mushriks genuinely believed in idolatry, and they were sincere in that belief. We keep on bringing this point up, especially to our younger brothers and sisters in the audience who naively think, "Let me just talk to somebody for 5 minutes and they will be accepting Islam instantaneously." Here we have the leader of the Quraysh seeing the Prophet PBUH, interacting with him for 21 years, and yet he still believed that al-Lat and al-Uzza are gods besides Allah. Think about that. It's very difficult to change and abandon the theology that you have been raised in. It's very difficult to abandon the culture that you consider dear. And Abu Sufyan's light bulb is clicking NOW after 21 years. At Badr, Uhud, and Khandaq, he genuinely believed in his gods. Recall at Uhud, he said, "U'lu Hubal" [see episode 49]. But now he is finally saying, "Yes, I agree with you now. There is no god besides Allah."
1) One is that he accepted Islam even before the Prophet's PBUH Hijrah, i.e., in the Makkan phase. But there is not a shred of evidence for this.
2) He accepted Islam right before the Battle of Badr. The evidence for this is that the Prophet PBUH said before the battle, "Do not kill three people, because they have been forced to come and fight against us"—and number one on that list of three was al-Abbas [see episode 38].
3) He accepted Islam post-Badr. Recall the incident where he was taken as a prisoner of war [see episode 41].
4) He accepted Islam before the Battle of Khaybar. What is the evidence? When a false news reached Makkah that the Prophet PBUH had been defeated at Khaybar (it was a tactic that the Muslims used, that one of them said, "Defeat has occurred!")—and when this news spread, al-Abbas became distressed and extremely grieved. So that sahabi went to him and said, "Ya Abbas, it's actually the biggest victory the Muslims have seen!" And at this, Abbas shouted, "Allahu'akbar!" For him to be happy that the Muslims have won at Khaybar shows that he is a Muslim.
2) He accepted Islam right before the Battle of Badr. The evidence for this is that the Prophet PBUH said before the battle, "Do not kill three people, because they have been forced to come and fight against us"—and number one on that list of three was al-Abbas [see episode 38].
3) He accepted Islam post-Badr. Recall the incident where he was taken as a prisoner of war [see episode 41].
4) He accepted Islam before the Battle of Khaybar. What is the evidence? When a false news reached Makkah that the Prophet PBUH had been defeated at Khaybar (it was a tactic that the Muslims used, that one of them said, "Defeat has occurred!")—and when this news spread, al-Abbas became distressed and extremely grieved. So that sahabi went to him and said, "Ya Abbas, it's actually the biggest victory the Muslims have seen!" And at this, Abbas shouted, "Allahu'akbar!" For him to be happy that the Muslims have won at Khaybar shows that he is a Muslim.
5) He converted right now where we are.
Opinion #3, #4, and #5 say he remained in Makkah as an informant at the behest/command of the Prophet PBUH. But the fact of the matter is the evidence is somewhat ambiguous and you cannot say for certain when he accepted Islam. Ibn Abd al-Barr says he accepted before Khaybar, Ibn Hajar argues right now (this incident), and Ibn Kathir argues he remained in Makkah as a Muslim obeying the command of the Prophet PBUH. So we have three great scholars with three different opinions. So Allah knows best. But one thing is for sure: After the Battle of Badr, his heart opened to Islam. Whether he accepted or not, Allah knows best; but even if he didn't, he knew Islam to be true. That is why he's helping and informing the Prophet PBUH, and that is why he was so happy at the conquest of Khaybar. Again, recall when he was taken as a POW post-Badr, he said, "I swear by the One who has sent you with the Truth that you are the Messenger of Allah" [see episode 41] — and scholars have interpreted this phrase to mean an acceptance of Islam. It's possible, but Allah knows best. We leave this vague.
Perhaps the best thing to say is his heart was a heart of Islam post-Badr and he was a believer in Islam, but he didn't declare it until now, i.e., until right before the Conquest of Makkah.
Also, in a very weak hadith in al-Tabarani's Mu'jam al-Kabir, the Prophet PBUH is reported to have said to al-Abbas, "You are the last of the Muhajirun just like I am the last of the Messengers."
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Al-Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib RA
Abbas was the only elder of the Banu Hashim to live after the Prophet's PBUH demise — he lived for another 20 years (d. 32 AH, in Uthman's khilafa). And the sahaba respected him an immense amount. After all, he is the brother of Abdullah and the uncle of the Prophet PBUH. Once, when someone irritated al-Abbas, the Prophet PBUH gave a khutbah and said, "O Muhajirun and Ansar, verily, the uncle of a man is like his father. Do not irritate my uncle." Subhan'Allah.
And it's mentioned that whenever Abu Bakr or Umar or any senior sahaba saw al-Abbas, they would get off of their camel/horse as a token of respect and not ride at a level above him.
In a hadith in Bukhari, it's mentioned that when the Muslims were suffering the drought in the 18th year of the Hijrah and the people were dying from thirst, Umar RA gathered all the sahaba to perform Salat al-Istisqa' (صلاة الاستسقاء - Rain Prayer), and he finished the khutbah by saying, "O Allah, we used to go through the Prophet PBUH to get to you. And now we will do tawassul (توسل) through the uncle of Your prophet. Stand up, O Abbas, and make du'a for us." (Side note: Tawassul here means to ask somebody to make du'a.) This is a great honor for al-Abbas. There were Badriyun and many senior sahaba, but Umar chose him to make du'a for the entire community for the rain to fall.
And Abbas lived a long life; he died at around the age of 85, and he became blind towards the end of it. He is described as being very handsome and very loud-voiced. In the Battle of Hunayn [later, after the Conquest of Makkah], when the Muslims fled, the Prophet PBUH told Abbas, "O Abbas, call them!"—and Abbas stood on his mount and called them back. And it is said in the books of seerah that Abbas had a slave who was a shepherd, and when the slave was grazing the flock 3 miles away, Abbas would just shout out from 3 miles away and the shepherd would hear.
And Abbas lived a long life; he died at around the age of 85, and he became blind towards the end of it. He is described as being very handsome and very loud-voiced. In the Battle of Hunayn [later, after the Conquest of Makkah], when the Muslims fled, the Prophet PBUH told Abbas, "O Abbas, call them!"—and Abbas stood on his mount and called them back. And it is said in the books of seerah that Abbas had a slave who was a shepherd, and when the slave was grazing the flock 3 miles away, Abbas would just shout out from 3 miles away and the shepherd would hear.
And one of the biggest blessings Allah gave al-Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib RA is that one of the longest reigning dynasties of Islam was the Abbasids, the direct descendants of al-Abbas. They ruled Islam from 750 CE – 1517 CE. So for ~750 years they were the khulafa of Islam.
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So Abbas accepts Islam and becomes the last of the Muhajirun and reaches the army and proceeds with them to Makkah.
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Conversions of Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith & Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah
Today's lesson is about conversions before the actual Conquest. Very important conversions took place. We have now two more conversions.
The Muslim army is coming close to Makkah and the news has spread and reached Makkah that the Prophet PBUH is coming — you simply cannot hide 10,000 men. So the Makkans were taken by surprise. And two people, out of panic and fear, decided to exit Makkah and tried to embrace Islam before the Prophet PBUH conquered Makkah. So there are another two famous conversion stories before the Conquest. But note these two weren't Muhajir; they didn't emigrate to Madinah; they are simply converting outside of Makkah — around 20 km outside (1-day journey). The two people are:
1. Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith ibn Abdul Muttalib (أبو سفيان بن الحارث بن عبد المطلب)
Note this is NOT the famous Abu Sufyan ibn Harb who is the father of Muawiyah. This is the first cousin of the Prophet PBUH. His father al-Harith is the eldest son of Abdul Muttalib. (Side note: Most likely, al-Harith died even before the Prophet PBUH was born; and he was the only son present when zamzam was discovered; and that was the time when Abdul Muttalib said, "O Allah, if you ever give me 10 sons, I will sacrifice one of them for you" [see episode 5].)
2. Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah ibn al-Mughira (عبد الله بن أبي أمية بن المغيرة)
This is another cousin of the Prophet PBUH. His mother is Atikah the aunt of the Prophet PBUH, i.e., the daughter of Abdul Muttalib. So Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith ibn Abdul Muttalib is a first cousin to the Prophet PBUH from the father's side (father's brother), and Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah ibn al-Mughira is a first cousin to the Prophet PBUH also from the father's side (father's sister). By the way, Atikah was alive when Islam came — recall she saw the dream of Badr [see episode 36]; but we don't know what happened to her after that. Nonetheless, this is Atikah's son, Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah.
So both of them are first cousins to the Prophet PBUH, but they were also open enemies and mockers of Islam, and they caused a lot of pain to the Prophet PBUH.
As for Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith, he was known for his poetry. In the Makkan stage, he composed many poems mocking the message of Islam and ridiculing the Prophet PBUH. And in those days, this was the worst type of slander — to write poetry against another.
As for Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah, an incident occurred in Makkah in public that he challenged the Prophet PBUH in the early Makkan stage, "O Muhammad, your people have given you so many offers, yet you've refused them all. And they have asked you for wealth from your God (e.g., turn this mountain into gold), and you have not given us that. So I swear by Allah, I will never believe in you until you climb up to the skies in front of me with a divine ladder, and bring down a book/covenant from Allah (note this exact phrase is mentioned in the Quran [17:93]). Show us the angels; and even if you do so, I still won't believe in you." So he showed the height of arrogance; and he did this in front of the Nadi (parliament of the Quraysh) to embarrass the Prophet PBUH. Can you imagine how the Prophet PBUH would have felt? These are his first cousins with whom he grew up, but now they are mocking him publicly in a vulgar manner.
Now, it so happened that Abdullah's father is the father of Ummi Salama the Mother of the Believers (so Abdullah and Ummi Salama are half-siblings). So Abdullah goes to his sister Ummi Salama and begs her, "Can you go and intercede on our behalf in front of the Prophet PBUH?" Ummi Salama feels pity for him and so she enters in to the tent of the Prophet PBUH and says, "Ya Rasulullah, your paternal cousin and your maternal cousin are here. Do you have any need for them (which basically means can you help them out)?" The Prophet PBUH said, "I have no need for them." Pause here before we move on.
As for Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah, an incident occurred in Makkah in public that he challenged the Prophet PBUH in the early Makkan stage, "O Muhammad, your people have given you so many offers, yet you've refused them all. And they have asked you for wealth from your God (e.g., turn this mountain into gold), and you have not given us that. So I swear by Allah, I will never believe in you until you climb up to the skies in front of me with a divine ladder, and bring down a book/covenant from Allah (note this exact phrase is mentioned in the Quran [17:93]). Show us the angels; and even if you do so, I still won't believe in you." So he showed the height of arrogance; and he did this in front of the Nadi (parliament of the Quraysh) to embarrass the Prophet PBUH. Can you imagine how the Prophet PBUH would have felt? These are his first cousins with whom he grew up, but now they are mocking him publicly in a vulgar manner.
Now, it so happened that Abdullah's father is the father of Ummi Salama the Mother of the Believers (so Abdullah and Ummi Salama are half-siblings). So Abdullah goes to his sister Ummi Salama and begs her, "Can you go and intercede on our behalf in front of the Prophet PBUH?" Ummi Salama feels pity for him and so she enters in to the tent of the Prophet PBUH and says, "Ya Rasulullah, your paternal cousin and your maternal cousin are here. Do you have any need for them (which basically means can you help them out)?" The Prophet PBUH said, "I have no need for them." Pause here before we move on.
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Tangent: Forgiveness vs. Harshness
The Prophet PBUH said, "I have no need for them."
When some Muslims in our time hear these types of incidents for the first time, it clashes with their perception of the Prophet PBUH, and so they say, "How could the Prophet PBUH say this? Wasn't he a mercy-for-mankind? Wasn't he someone who spared Ta'if? Didn't he forgive all the people of Makkah?" So their perception of the Prophet PBUH seems to clash with this 'harsh' side of the Prophet PBUH, and they are shocked when they hear such phrases, that, "I don't want to see them." However, the fact of the matter is that: "Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example" [Quran, 33:21]. Yes, he was the mercy for mankind; yes, he forgave and forgave; but you simply cannot establish political rule and firmness by always turning the other cheek. You cannot forgive and forgive without once in a while showing harshness [see also: episodes 89 & 41]. You cannot run a civilization and be a leader where everything is always forgiven. There has to be a balance. And that's why the religion that preaches "always turn the other cheek" and "always forgive" has never followed it in its own history; because —yes, such philosophy might work in your personal life, but— it will never work at a societal level. This is the reality. Otherwise, people *will* take advantage of you. That's why we see in the Prophet PBUH that the general rule is mercy and forgiveness, but there has to be a line. And both of these cousins crossed that line.
Also we notice the Prophet PBUH treated people according to who they are. The Bedouin is not treated like the senior sahaba are treated. The Bedouin is shown mercy, whereas the senior sahaba have a higher standard to follow. Once, Mu'adh ibn Jabal recites a long surah when he was leading a prayer, and when one of the ma'mum complained to the Prophet PBUH about this, the Prophet PBUH reprimanded Mu'adh, "O Mu'adh, are you going to cause fitna to the people?" Also, in one sariyya, when Usama ibn Zayd killed a person who had said "La ilaha illaLlah," the Prophet PBUH was furious at him and kept on repeating, "[O Usama,] what are you going to do with 'La ilaha illaLlah' on the Day of Judgment?!" until Usama felt, "Wallahi, I wish I was a brand new Muslim out of the anger of the Prophet PBUH for me"—meaning he knows the Prophet PBUH would've been more lenient with him had he been a new Muslim. Therefore, we understand why the Prophet PBUH said what he said to Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith and Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah. These are cousins. They knew better. How could they have done what they have done to their own cousin, someone who they grew up with? How could they have betrayed him when he was the most in need of them?
So yes, strictness must be demonstrated, and so the Prophet PBUH said, "I have no need for them," meaning, "Tell them to go back."
And there's another wisdom as well, and that is that, in this harshness, there is an imtihan (إمتحان - test) for them. This is the test of their sincerity. If they're half-sincere, they will reject Islam and be arrogant, that, "Fine. You don't want to see us? We don't want you either." But if they understand what Islam is and who the Prophet PBUH is, they will insist, beg, and plead. So it was most likely a test — or maybe he PBUH really did mean it. Allah knows best. We don't know what his intention was. But either case, this turned out to be the correct decision, because as we will see:
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(Cont.) Conversion of Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith & Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah
And Abu Sufyan had a poem prepared, and it's a beautiful poem. He recites this one-page long poem as mentioned in Ibn Ishaq and others, and when he came to the line that says: "هداني هاد غير نفسي ودلني إلى الله من طردت كل مطرد (A guide other than myself [meaning the Prophet PBUH] guided me to Allah; a guide whom I myself repelled at every opportunity [but he continued to guide me to Allah SWT]," the Prophet PBUH tapped him in the chest and said, "Wallahi, you repelled me every time you could"—this is like a brotherly chastisement. Subhan'Allah, this shows us the Prophet PBUH is no doubt a human — he's hurt his cousin repelled him at every opportunity. So when Abu Sufyan says this line, the Prophet's PBUH grief comes out, "Yes, wallahi, you repelled me every time you could."
(Abu Sufyan showed many brave stances after this, especially in the Battle of Hunayn [which will take place in a few weeks; see episode 82]. We will see the Iman of this Abu Sufyan the cousin of the Prophet PBUH.)
And so the Prophet PBUH accepted their apology, and the two of them then became Muslim.
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Conversion of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb
Now we move on to the fourth conversion story. So the Muslims continued proceeding onward and they are less than one day's distance to Makkah. The Quraysh are expecting some attack, but they don't know exactly when nor do they know how far the army of the Prophet PBUH is.
The Prophet PBUH camps outside Makkah in a place called Marr al-Zahran (مر الظهران) (now known as Wadi Fatima [وادي فاطمة]), and this is the final camping station; after this, you get up and march straight into Makkah. And so he tells the sahaba, "We will camp here, so go ahead and light your fires"—and can you imagine the scene of 10,000 people lighting fires? Subhan'Allah. And al-Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib, the brand new convert who feels sympathy for the Quraysh, he begs the Prophet PBUH, "Let me go and negotiate [with the Quraysh before you attack/before you enter into the city]." So the Prophet PBUH gives him his own mule/ride and tells him, "Go and see what you can do."
So al-Abbas goes to the Quraysh in the middle of the night, and later he narrates this in the first person as recorded in Ibn Ishaq: "I said to myself, 'Oh, what an evil morning it is for the Quraysh if the Prophet PBUH enters Makkah by force and attacks Makkah before they come to him and submit; it shall be their destruction for all eternity.'" Meaning if the Prophet PBUH conquers the Quraysh in this manner through a bloody war, there shall be no more Quraysh after this. And he's worried what's going to happen. And as he's walking, he sees three people in the distance coming in his direction. So he becomes quiet and tries to listen to figure out who they are. It turns out they are three senior leaders of the Quraysh & Khuza'a: Abu Sufyan ibn Harb ibn Umayyah THE Abu Sufyan the leader of the Quraysh, along with Hakim ibn Hizam, and Budayl ibn Warqa'; and they've been, on a nightly basis, coming out to see where the army of the Muslims is, and they are worried when the Prophet PBUH is going to attack. And on this night, they see the entire plain lit with 10,000 fires. And they are wondering, "What is happening?" In their minds, they simply cannot imagine the Muslims are that large. So Abu Sufyan and Budayl have a conversation, "Who do you think these people are?" It doesn't even occur to them it's the Muslim army. Budayl becomes happy and says, "This must be the Khuza'a (i.e., my people)! [They are here to defend us!]" But Abu Sufyan says, "They neither have the guts nor the quantity [to be this]." And while they're discussing, Abbas calls out, "Ya Aba Hanzala (أبا حنظلة)!" (Hanzala is Abu Sufyan's oldest son); and Abu Sufyan recognizes this voice, he says, "Abu al-Fadl [أبو الفضل]?" (Al-Fadl is Abbas's oldest son) (Note they address each other by kunyas, i.e., "Father of So-and-So.") And he says to him, "O Abu al-Fadl, what are you doing here?"—he doesn't know al-Abbas has become a Muslim. (Side note: In those days, people would travel for food — they would go hunting, get firewood, etc. So if you go missing for a day or two, it's not the end of the world.) Abbas says, "Woe to you! This is the army of Muhammad PBUH. And if he conquers you tomorrow, know that you shall be executed."
Now, by now we all know who Abu Sufyan is. There is no leader in Makkah at this point who competes with his seniority. The more senior leaders have all died at Badr and Uhud; the only senior left that can claim to rule and represent all of Makkah now is Abu Sufyan. And after all that he had done, there is no way he will be allowed to live (according to al-Abbas). So Abu Sufyan says, "What can I do? What do you advise me?" So Abbas tells him, "Come with me and I shall ask the Prophet PBUH to forgive and protect you. I will intercede on behalf of you in front of the Prophet PBUH." And he cannot see any other option, so he agrees. And al-Abbas puts him on his mule (i.e., the Prophet's PBUH mule), and in the middle of the night, they walk back into the army of 10,000 strong. And every time someone stops them and asks, "Who is there?!" al-Abbas says, "This is al-Abbas on the mule of the Prophet PBUH, Duldul." And of course, if this person has the mule of the Prophet PBUH, no more questions are asked. Wandering directly into 10,000 strong each one of whom would love to kill Abu Sufyan, in front of him is al-Abbas and both of them are riding the most sacred animal, the mule of the Prophet PBUH himself, no one dares ask anything. And as they get closer and closer to the tent of the Prophet PBUH, the seniority of the sahaba rises, until they pass by Umar ibn al-Khattab RA. (And again, this shows you the love the sahaba had for the Prophet PBUH — all the sahaba are protecting and guarding him PBUH in the middle of the night.)
Umar jumps up, "Who is there?" and he doesn't even have to wait for the answer, he recognizes from the eyes, "Abu Sufyan the enemy of Allah?! Alhamdulillah! Allah has given you to me without any covenant or treaty!"—he is saying this is a gift, meaning, "In this state of war you are wandering in with no protection?! Allah has blessed us!"
Now, at this, Abbas says, "O Umar, he is under my protection." Recall when a Muslim gives protection to anyone, they are protected [see episode 62]. But Umar does not let this go. So he accompanies Abu Sufyan to the tent of the Prophet PBUH. And no matter what time of the night it is, this is Abu Sufyan, so he is granted an audience with the Prophet PBUH. Umar immediately asks for an execution, "Ya Rasulullah, this is the enemy of Allah, and Allah has given him to us without any covenant or treaty." So Abbas begins arguing, "No, he is under my protection." But Umar insists, and then Abbas insists further. The Prophet PBUH is silent. And then Abbas says, "Stop it, O Umar! For wallahi, if he were from the Banu Adi, you would never want to kill him! But because he is from the Banu Abd Manaf, you are brave enough to do this!" (Side note: Recall the Banu Abd Manaf combines the Banu Hashim [Abbas's tribe] and the Banu Umayyah [Abu Sufyan's tribe] — they are cousins; unlike the Banu Adi [Umar's tribe] that are very distant cousins.)
So Abbas brings in the tribal card and this clearly shows that he's a new Muslim — he's still thinking somewhat in tribalism lines. At this, Umar says, "Careful, ya Abbas. Wallahi, your acceptance of Islam the day that you accepted it was more beloved to me than my own father Khattab having accepted Islam had he been alive [only because the Prophet PBUH was happier at your Islam than he would have been at the Islam of my father]." Subhan'Allah. (Side note: And this is exactly what Abu Bakr will say as well when his own father accepts Islam [see episode 80]. He cries, "Ya Rasulullah, I would give anything to see Abu Talib here accepting Islam at your hands rather than my own father.") This is the true love for the Prophet PBUH.
When the Prophet PBUH saw these tensions, he said, "O Abbas, take Abu Sufyan to your tent and bring him to me tomorrow morning," and so Abbas did this. And Abbas and Abu Sufyan spent the entire night going back and forth, that Abbas tries to convert him but Abu Sufyan is hesitant. Until finally he is brought to the Prophet PBUH and the Prophet PBUH says to him, "O Abu Sufyan, isn't it time for you to acknowledge 'la ilaha illaLlah (there is no god besides Allah)'?" And subhan'Allah, what does Abu Sufyan say? He says, "May my mother and father be given in ransom for you"—this is the height of praise; and then he says, "How gentle are you, how merciful are you, and how fulfilling are you to the ties of kinship!"—as a mushrik, he is overwhelmed at the kindness of the Prophet PBUH that he is still gentle with him even after all that he had done at Badr, Uhud, and Khandaq; then he says, "As for this (la ilaha illaLlah), had there been any other gods besides Allah, I would have seen them help me by now." What does this show us? It's amazing that deep down inside, many of these mushriks genuinely believed in idolatry, and they were sincere in that belief. We keep on bringing this point up, especially to our younger brothers and sisters in the audience who naively think, "Let me just talk to somebody for 5 minutes and they will be accepting Islam instantaneously." Here we have the leader of the Quraysh seeing the Prophet PBUH, interacting with him for 21 years, and yet he still believed that al-Lat and al-Uzza are gods besides Allah. Think about that. It's very difficult to change and abandon the theology that you have been raised in. It's very difficult to abandon the culture that you consider dear. And Abu Sufyan's light bulb is clicking NOW after 21 years. At Badr, Uhud, and Khandaq, he genuinely believed in his gods. Recall at Uhud, he said, "U'lu Hubal" [see episode 49]. But now he is finally saying, "Yes, I agree with you now. There is no god besides Allah."
The Prophet PBUH then said, "Woe to you, O Abu Sufyan. Isn't it time for you to testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?" And Abu Sufyan says the same phrase, "May my mother and father be given in ransom for you. How gentle are you, how merciful are you, and how fulfilling are you to the ties of kinship. [But] as for this matter, I am still hesitant." At this, Abbas loses it and says, "O Abu Sufyan, either accept or you will get killed!"—notice this is not the Prophet PBUH speaking; in Islam, we don't threaten people like this. But al-Abbas is a new Muslim. And Abu Sufyan is his friend, so he is eager, "I did all that I could! Now it's your turn!" And so with reluctance, Abu Sufyan said the shahada.
What a story, subhan'Allah.
After so many battles and years, after the torture and threat, now, right before entering Makkah, the greatest chieftain of the Quraysh alive, with difficulty and reluctance, accepts Islam. And wallahi, just think of the perfect setup that Allah SWT had planned for this incident to occur, down to the minute detail — even if we spend all the money in the world, we could've not brought about this perfect setup. Who is Abbas? Where is he at the point in time? When does he meet Abu Sufyan? What time was it? Everything is absolutely perfect. Had any other sahabi seen Abu Sufyan, he would have killed him, OR Abu Sufyan would not have trusted him. And Abbas happens to be on the mule of the Prophet PBUH. Truly, this is Allah's qadr. There is no way you can set this up. Indeed, when Allah wants something to be, He simply says, "Be," and it is [see Quran, 36:82]. So eventually, after all these years, Abu Sufyan finally accepts Islam.
After so many battles and years, after the torture and threat, now, right before entering Makkah, the greatest chieftain of the Quraysh alive, with difficulty and reluctance, accepts Islam. And wallahi, just think of the perfect setup that Allah SWT had planned for this incident to occur, down to the minute detail — even if we spend all the money in the world, we could've not brought about this perfect setup. Who is Abbas? Where is he at the point in time? When does he meet Abu Sufyan? What time was it? Everything is absolutely perfect. Had any other sahabi seen Abu Sufyan, he would have killed him, OR Abu Sufyan would not have trusted him. And Abbas happens to be on the mule of the Prophet PBUH. Truly, this is Allah's qadr. There is no way you can set this up. Indeed, when Allah wants something to be, He simply says, "Be," and it is [see Quran, 36:82]. So eventually, after all these years, Abu Sufyan finally accepts Islam.
Again, no doubt, it's haram to threaten someone to accept Islam, but Abbas is Abu Sufyan's friend, and so he is being eager. Also, we see over here that there's no problem with someone accepting Islam half-heartedly. Some of us have a very different idea and say, "No no, you must accept Islam fully from the heart." But well, you see, the fact of the matter is we believe Islam to be true; and therefore, if somebody is half-hearted, we will tell, "Okay, bismiLlah, accept"; and when they accept, we are certain that Islam will win them over — because we are confident Islam is true. And this is exactly what happened with Abu Sufyan. He is not quite fully convinced right now, but eventually he will be convinced.
(Tangent: We talked about Abbas starting the Abbasid Dynasty. And well, Abu Sufyan from Banu Umayyah, he starts the Umayyad Dynasty. So here are two converts speaking with one another, little did they realize that between the two of them, they shall rule Islam for over 1000 years. Look at the qadr of Allah.)
When Abu Sufyan converted, Abbas said, "Ya Rasulullah, you know that Abu Sufyan is a man of nobility, [so] give him something to make him feel proud." So the Prophet PBUH said that famous statement: "We are going to enter Makkah tomorrow — whoever is in the Haram shall be safe (we are not going to touch him), whoever is in his own house shall be safe, and whoever is in the house of Abu Sufyan shall be safe." Again, this shows us you must treat people according to their background. Abu Sufyan is a man of nobility, so the Prophet PBUH gives him something to make him feel proud by making his house a sanctuary.
When Abu Sufyan converted, Abbas said, "Ya Rasulullah, you know that Abu Sufyan is a man of nobility, [so] give him something to make him feel proud." So the Prophet PBUH said that famous statement: "We are going to enter Makkah tomorrow — whoever is in the Haram shall be safe (we are not going to touch him), whoever is in his own house shall be safe, and whoever is in the house of Abu Sufyan shall be safe." Again, this shows us you must treat people according to their background. Abu Sufyan is a man of nobility, so the Prophet PBUH gives him something to make him feel proud by making his house a sanctuary.
Then the Prophet PBUH told Abbas to take Abu Sufyan to such-and-such a place at the neck of the valley and let him see all of the army as it goes through in its march to Makkah. So Abbas took Abu Sufyan to the top of the valley, and he was amazed — as far as the eye can see, convoys, cavalries, and people are coming in in groups. And each group had a different banner. And he's asking, "Who is this banner?" Abbas says, "This is the tribe of Sulaym." Abu Sufyan: "Who is this banner?" Abbas: "This is the tribe of Muzayna..." and so on. Abu Sufyan is a new convert and he cannot understand yet how Islam combines all these tribes. And he kept on saying, "How can we fight against the Muzayna... How can we fight against the Sulaym..." until right at the end came al-Khadra (الخضراء), the Convoy of the Prophet PBUH which Ibn Ishaq described as: "You could see nothing but the brightness of the armors"—all the Muhajirun and all the Ansar. Abu Sufyan was amazed when he saw this, he said, "Who is THIS convoy?" Abbas said, "This is the Prophet PBUH, the Muhajirun, and the Ansar." Abu Sufyan says, "We have no manner of opposing all of them. O Abbas, the kingdom of your nephew has become great!" Abbas says, "Woe to you. It is not a kingdom. It is prophethood [that has brought him this]." Abu Sufyan says, "Let it be prophethood then"—meaning, "Okay, if that's what you say it is, that is what it is."
Subhan'Allah, imagine 10,000 sahaba marching in and the leader of the Quraysh is witnessing all of this. Barely 3 years ago, Arabia combined to eliminate Islam, but now, look at the qadr of Allah SWT. Yesterday, our Prophet PBUH was expelled from Makkah and was fleeing for his life; he only had Abu Bakr after Allah; they had to hide in a cave for three days; and now, subhan'Allah, just 8 years later, he PBUH is leading a 10,000 strong army. Whereas the Quraysh, where are they now? Where is their honor and power? Indeed, to Allah belongs all honor and power [see Quran, 35:10].
[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, June 2022]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, June 2022]
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